Opera-chair



F. F. FlscHEn. OPERA, CHAIR. APFLICAHON FILED, JUNE 24. |919.

Patented Feb. 10, 1920.

FRANK F. FISCHER, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

l OPERA-CHAIR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Fatented Feb. 10, 1920.

Application filed June 24, i919, Serial No. 306,331.

To aZZ whom t may concern.'

Be it known that l, FRANK F. FISCHER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Opera-Chairs; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to furniture and more particularly to opera or theater chairs.

lt is one of the objects of the present invention to provide an extremely simple, substantial, slidable seat chair. A further object of the invention is to provide a slidable seat chair which is capable of having a horizontal rearwardand forward movement and which at the same time may shift readily and can be locked in its forwardly projected position automatically by a manually released latch. An important object of the present invention is to simplify the construction of chairs of this type and provide one which will be reliable in action.

With the above and other objects in view as. will be rendered manifest from the following specification the invention consists in the construction, the combination, and in details and arrangements of the parts as more particularly described hereinafter relative to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying` drawing wherein:

Figure l is a front perspective view of the chair frame with a portion thereof broken away.

Fig, 2 is a perspective view looking toward one side of the chair and showing' in dotted lines the seat frame in retracted position and broken away in full lines in the projected position.

Fig. 3 is a detail view showing the mounting of the seat frame.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the roller support and top stop.

Fig. 5 is a detail View showing the position of the lugs on the side bars of adjacent seats.

My present invention is an improvement in that type of opera or theater chairs in which the seat frame, generally indicated at 2, and which comprises a horizontal cushion supporting part 3, and an upright back part 4, is designed to be shifted to and fro, by the patrons, on lthe side frames 5 5 to permit the ready entry and passage in the aisles between the seats. The seat frame 3 obviously will be covered with any suitable type of cushion and the back part 4. may be also provided with a cushion or back of any desired character and if preferred the back and lower portion of the seat frame may be provided with a transverse cushion, not here shown, for the purpose of protecting` the knees of a person that might be occupying a seat in the rear of one that is being pushed back by a person passing through the aisle or leaving the chair.

ln the present embodiment of the invention, the side frames 5-5 are shown as constructed and arranged so as to form a support for a plurality of chair frames 2 and this is accomplished by having on both side faces of the front and rear legs of the frames 5 supports preferably involving rollers 6 having spindles which are mounted in a little bracket or hanger, 7, Fig. t, these brackets 7 being shown as supported by a subjacent shoulder 8 of which there is one on cach side of the front and rear legs of the side frames. The tops of the rollers project slightly above the side bearings 8 of the brackets so that the longitudinal rails 3 of the chair seat can ride freely to and fro on the front and rear respective pair of the rollers. Thus when the seat frame 3 is pushed on the side frame, the seat frame is supported at four points on rollers enabling it to be freely slid to and fro. A further feature of my invention is to provide means for preventing the chair from tilting or tipping or being moved vertically upward from the supporting rollers and this means is shown as comprising stop blocks 9 perforated at 10 in the upper end body portion to receive a fastening rivet, bolt or other suitable means l1 which can be passed through alined blocks 9 placed on opposite sides of the frame 5 which latter is provided with an aperture l2 to receive the fastening pin or partll. 'J utilize the stop blocks 9 as a means also for holding the roller brackets 7 in place on the supporting shoulders 8 and as shown the lower end of each block has its corners rabbeted at 13 forming a central tongue le adapted to project into a vertical slot or mortise l5 formed in the upwardly projecting end of the bracket 7 which is placed against the side face of a respective side frame 5.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the chair seat frame 2 is held against vertical movement by four blocks clearly shown in Fig. l and at the same time is freely slidable to and fro as between these blocks and their subjacent rollers 6.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of suitable and simple means for limiting the to and fro movement of the seat frame 2 and this means is shown as comprising a stop lug or tongue 16 of which there is one on each side bar 3a of the seat frame 3 the tongues projecting sufficiently therefrom to abut against the inside and opposed faces of the legs of the side frames. Preferably these stop tongues or lugs 16 project well across the face of the lug and for the purpose of permitting the tongues of one seat to clear those of another and adja cent seat the tongues are each shown, clearly in Fig. 5, offset with respect to each other as for instance by being bent in opposite directions.

Preferably suitable means are employed for latching the chair seat frame 2 in its forward position and a suitable form of latch is clearly shown in Fig. 2 as comprising a sliding bolt 2O having a head 2l exposed in the arm of the side frame the rod having a shoulder 22 below which is arranged an expansion spring 23 the lower end of which bears on a rest or shoulder 24- which may be fastened or formed on the front leg of a frame 5, and the lower end of the bolt is provided with a lateral eX- tension 25 designed to normally spring up wardly into a notch 26 provided therefor in one of the side rails 3a of the chair frame. The locking bolt 2O is limited in its upward movement under the reaction of the spring 23 by the engagement of the hook or arm 25 on the lower end of the rod with the lower surface of the stop or rest 24.

What l desire to claim is:

l. An opera or other chair comprising side frames or leg structures, a seat frame arranged between adjacent faces of the side frames, brackets on the side frames provided with antifriction rollers on which the seat frame is supported, and stop blocks coacting with the said rollers to retain the seat frame in position for longitudinal sliding movement only, said stop blocks operative to lock the roller hangers in place.

2. ln a sliding seat chair construction, a leg or side frame structure having shoulders on its opposite side faces, brackets mounted on said shoulders and provided with antifriction rollers, a seat frame op-4 eratively supported on a coordinate set of said rollers, and stop blocks attached to side faces of the side frames for holding the seat frame against upward movement and interlocking with the brackets.

FRANK F. FISCHER. 

